Assembly schedule

The daily program of the Assembly begins before God through worship and Bible study and ends before God with evening prayer and Eucharist.  In-between there is discernment, mutual learning, deliberation and commitment.  These elements are present in thematic and business sessions as well as the Omatala.

Worship, Eucharist and Bible study

Worship, Eucharist and the joint reading of the Bible will play a central role in the life of the Assembly.  The designation of a specific worship space, a tent, signifies this distinct value.  An Assembly choir will be constituted and composed of Assembly participants and Namibian volunteers.  Choirs from local congregations will also take part mainly in evening prayer.  The choice of common Biblical texts for worship and Bible study will ensure, on one hand, the interplay between the two and, on the other, the connection to the daily theme on which the logic and connection between the sessions, culminating on the last day, is based.

Thematic flow

Two elements comprise the thematic flow of the Assembly program. The keynote sessions will unravel the themes and present a perspective of the world as viewed from the lens of the Assembly themes.  The village groups will ensure the subjective dimension is given space to be expressed so that a transcontextual reading of the themes is generated.  The village groups will also be critical to articulating challenge and commitment at individual and organizational levels and coming up with some core messages for the Assembly message.

Governance flow

A basic task of an Assembly is to fulfil its legal mandate. Core tasks consist of electing its President and 48 members of the Council, adopting resolutions, public statements and reports, as well as the articulation of its message. The work of the Assembly will be facilitated with the help of two mechanisms: the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and its Committees.

The Omatala

An Oshiwambo (language of north Namibia) word for “marketplace”, the Omatala is, physically, a space (in this case, a tent) in which all Assembly participants are encouraged to contribute and participate. As a space in the Assembly program, the Omatala is transformative and creative, a place for facilitating knowledge, interaction and telling stories.

Commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

As the venue for the global commemoration of the Reformation anniversary, the Assembly will also be a culmination point in the anniversary process. The Assembly will provide the space for reflection on the Reformation and its relevance in the world of today. As an event, the commemoration will take place in a stadium located in a popular district of Windhoek, the Sam Nujoma Stadium, and will invite local Lutheran congregations numbering in the thousands to take part.